The Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission has issued Notification No. 07/2026, dated 06 October 2026, for direct recruitment to 166 Group-I posts across 13 categories. Online applications opened on 06 October and close at 11:59 PM on 27 October 2026. The Screening Test is fixed for 24 January 2027.
If you have seen "163 posts" elsewhere, it is wrong. The notification prints TOTAL 166 in the vacancy table on page 1 and again in the Annexure-I reservation table, and the 13 post rows add up to 166 exactly. We have mirrored the official PDF below so you can check it yourself.
Three things about this notification are worth knowing before you fill the form.
The highest pay scale is not the Deputy Collector post. Divisional Development Officer in the A.P. Panchayat Raj Service — Post Code 13, 35 vacancies — carries Rs. 65,360 to Rs. 1,54,980, above the Rs. 61,960 to Rs. 1,51,370 that Deputy Collector, DSP and Assistant Commissioner of State Tax carry. It is also the second-largest block of posts in the notification.
DSP (Civil) has a 21–30 age window, not 18–44. It is the single largest post at 36 vacancies, and the age ceiling is 14 years lower than almost everything else here. DSP (Communications) runs 18–30. Both also carry physical standards. Candidates routinely assume one age limit covers the whole notification and discover otherwise at verification.
The Screening Test marks do not count. It is a filter that admits 50 times the vacancies — about 8,300 candidates against 166 posts — to the Main examination, and then it is discarded. Final merit is the Main examination plus the interview, 825 marks.
Important dates
| Notification released | 06 October 2026 |
| Online applications open | 06 October 2026 |
| Last date to apply and pay fee | 27 October 2026, 11:59 PM |
| Correction window | 7 days from the last date, Rs. 100 per correction |
| Screening Test | 24 January 2027 |
| Main examination | To be announced |
| Age reckoned as on | 01 July 2026 |
| Qualification reckoned as on | 06 October 2026 |
Post-wise vacancies
| Code | Post | Posts | Age | Pay scale (Rs.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Deputy Collector (A.P. Civil Service) | 12 | 18–44 | 61,960 – 1,51,370 |
| 02 | Asst. Commissioner of State Tax | 14 | 18–44 | 61,960 – 1,51,370 |
| 03 | Deputy Supdt. of Police (Civil) Cat-2 | 36 | 21–30 | 61,960 – 1,51,370 |
| 04 | DSP (Communications) | 03 | 18–30 | 61,960 – 1,51,370 |
| 05 | District Educational Officer | 14 | 18–44 | 61,960 – 1,51,370 |
| 06 | Regional Transport Officer | 03 | 18–44 | 57,100 – 1,47,760 |
| 07 | District Tribal Welfare Officer | 01 | 18–44 | 57,100 – 1,47,760 |
| 08 | Deputy Registrar (Cooperative) | 16 | 18–44 | 57,100 – 1,47,760 |
| 09 | Municipal Commissioner Grade-II | 12 | 18–44 | 54,060 – 1,40,540 |
| 10 | Asst. Treasury Officer / Asst. Accounts Officer | 02 | 18–44 | 54,060 – 1,40,540 |
| 11 | District Employment Officer | 03 | 18–44 | 54,060 – 1,40,540 |
| 12 | Assistant Audit Officer | 15 | 18–44 | 54,060 – 1,40,540 |
| 13 | Divisional Development Officer | 35 | 18–44 | 65,360 – 1,54,980 |
| Total | 166 | |||
Five of the 166 are carried-forward vacancies from earlier recruitments — 03 under DSP (Civil), 01 under Deputy Registrar and 01 under District Employment Officer. Carried-forward reserved vacancies are filled before the fresh vacancies. The Commission also reserves the right to add vacancies up to the date of the Screening Test by addendum.
Community-wise, state-wide, multi-zonal and zonal distribution of these posts is set out in Annexure-I of the notification.
Eligibility
Age (as on 01 July 2026):
- 18 to 44 years for Post Codes 01, 02, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12 and 13.
- 21 to 30 years for Post Code 03, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Civil).
- 18 to 30 years for Post Code 04, DSP (Communications).
Relaxations take the 44-year ceiling to 49 for SC, ST, BC and EWS candidates. The full list is in the Age Relaxation panel above.
Qualification: a Bachelor's Degree of a recognised Indian university is enough for 12 of the 13 posts. The exception is Post Code 04, DSP (Communications), which needs a B.E. or B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering, or Radio Engineering.
The crucial date for qualification is 06 October 2026, the date of the detailed notification — not the last date to apply.
Physical requirements (Post Codes 03 and 04)
| Standard | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Height (men) | 167.6 cm minimum |
| Height (women) | 152.5 cm minimum |
| Height (ST and aboriginal tribes) | 164 cm minimum |
| Chest on full inspiration | 86.3 cm (83.8 cm for ST) |
| Chest expansion | 5 cm minimum |
| Weight (women) | 45.5 kg minimum |
These apply under G.O.Ms.No.137, Home (Police-E) Dept., dated 01/06/1998 and G.O.Ms.No.319, Home (Police-E) Dept., dated 16/10/1995. They are a bar on candidature, not a scored test — fall short and the candidature does not stand regardless of marks.
Application fee
| Category | Processing fee | Examination fee | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| General candidates | Rs. 250 | Rs. 120 | Rs. 370 |
| SC, ST, BC, PwBD, Ex-Servicemen | Rs. 250 | Nil | Rs. 250 |
| White Card holders (A.P. residents) | Rs. 250 | Nil | Rs. 250 |
| Unemployed youth (G.O.Ms.No.439) | Rs. 250 | Nil | Rs. 250 |
The Rs. 250 processing fee is payable by everybody; only the Rs. 120 examination fee is ever waived. Payment is online only — net banking, credit card or debit card. IPOs and demand drafts are not accepted, and the fee is never refunded or adjusted under any circumstances.
Screening Test pattern
| Paper | Subject | Questions | Duration | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper-I | General Studies | 120 | 120 min | 120 |
| Paper-II | General Aptitude | 120 | 120 min | 120 |
| Total | 240 | |||
Paper-I is built from four parts of 30 marks each: History and Culture; Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations; Indian and Andhra Pradesh Economy and Planning; and Geography. Paper-II splits into General Mental Ability, Administrative and Psychological Abilities (60 marks), Science and Technologies (30 marks), and Current Events of regional, national and international importance (30 marks).
Negative marking is one third of the marks prescribed for the question. On a 1-mark question that is 0.33 off per wrong answer, so three wrong guesses cancel one correct answer.
The Screening Test is held at district centres across Andhra Pradesh, including the newly organised districts, and candidates give three centre preferences. Its marks are used only to decide who sits the Main examination — 50 times the number of vacancies, irrespective of community, with relaxed standards available for SC, ST, BC and physically challenged candidates where the Commission considers it necessary.
Main examination pattern
| Paper | Subject | Nature | Duration | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Telugu | Qualifying | 180 min | 150 |
| — | English | Qualifying | 180 min | 150 |
| Paper-I | General Essay | Counted | 180 min | 150 |
| Paper-II | History, Culture and Geography of India and A.P. | Counted | 180 min | 150 |
| Paper-III | Polity, Constitution, Governance, Law and Ethics | Counted | 180 min | 150 |
| Paper-IV | Economy and Development of India and A.P. | Counted | 180 min | 150 |
| Paper-V | Science, Technology and Environmental Issues | Counted | 180 min | 150 |
| — | Interview (Personality Test) | Counted | — | 75 |
| Total counted for merit | 825 | |||
The Telugu and English papers are qualifying in nature and the marks secured in them are not counted for merit. You still have to clear them: 40% for OC, Sportspersons and EWS, 35% for Backward Classes, 30% for SC, ST and PwBD. Papers may be written in English or Telugu, and the medium is chosen online before the Main examination along with post and zonal preferences.
Interviews are at a ratio of 1:2 against vacancies, under G.O.Ms.No.100, G.A. (Ser-A) Dept., dated 30/09/2022.
Minimum qualifying marks
| Category | Aggregate minimum |
|---|---|
| OC, Sportspersons and EWS | 40% |
| Backward Classes | 35% |
| SC, ST and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities | 30% |
These are set by G.O.Ms.No.103, G.A. (Ser.A) Dept., dated 03.02.1967 and its amendments. The notification adds a line worth taking literally: mere securing of minimum qualifying marks does not confer any right to the candidate for being considered to the selection.
How to apply
- Go to psc.ap.gov.in. If you are applying to APPSC for the first time, complete the One Time Profile Registration (OTPR) to get an OTPR ID.
- Log in with the OTPR ID and open the application for Notification 07/2026.
- Fill in local or non-local status, qualifications, preferences across the 13 post codes, and examination centre preferences.
- Save and submit to generate the payment link, then pay online.
- Download the filled application PDF and keep it.
Two traps in the process, both stated in the notification itself:
Fee and age relaxation are calculated from your OTPR data, and once the payment form is submitted those details cannot be altered at any later stage. If your OTPR profile has the wrong community or date of birth, fix it before you pay.
The correction window will not help you there. Corrections open after the last date and stay open for 7 days at Rs. 100 each, but fields affecting the name, the fee and age relaxation are explicitly not enabled for correction, and no manual correction request is entertained.
Completing OTPR is not an application. The post-specific application for 07/2026 must be submitted separately before 11:59 PM on 27 October 2026.
Is it worth applying?
166 posts against an applicant pool that will run into the lakhs is a hard ratio, and the honest answer depends on which post code you are aiming at. But two facts change the arithmetic in a candidate's favour.
First, the Screening Test takes 50 times the vacancies through — roughly 8,300 seats in the Main examination. That is a far wider gate than most candidates assume, and it is reached on a 240-mark objective paper that overlaps heavily with Group-2 and other APPSC preparation.
Second, you apply once and give preferences across all 13 post codes. A candidate preparing for Deputy Collector is simultaneously in contention for 165 other posts, including the 36 DSP (Civil) and 35 Divisional Development Officer vacancies that together make up 43% of the notification.
The application window closes on 27 October 2026 and is not usually extended. The official notification PDF is mirrored below.